Translator: AnubisTL
The surrounding air was frigid, and a layer of ice crystals had formed on the ground.
The dense thicket of ice blades remained unmelted, clustered together like countless blooming flowers.
A dark figure emerged from the shadows of the nearby forest: obsidian-like dragon scales, crimson markings, and a massive, rugged frame. It was Garos, returning to the scene of his crime.
He glanced in the direction the Red Copper Dragon had fled, then surveyed the ravaged, abandoned mine.
"Tch, that Red Copper Dragon was furious. Still, dragons value treasure as much as life itself. The fact that it didn't completely lose its mind shows remarkable restraint—truly worthy of a metallic dragon. They're far more composed than chromatic dragons," Garos mused, clicking his tongue.
He plucked an ice blade from the ground. Its icy touch made his claw ache.
"This level of power can only come from a dragon of at least adult age."
"Ice affinity... Could one of its parents have been a Silver Dragon? That's the most likely explanation," Garos thought to himself.
Dragons don't typically restrict their mating choices to their own kind; pairings between the same species are actually quite rare.
However, due to the domineering and incompatible nature of dragon bloodlines, hybrid dragons are rare.
Regardless of the parents' species, offspring typically inherit the bloodline of only one parent. Hybrid dragons like Garos are exceptionally rare.
It's also worth noting that not all hybrid dragons are paragons of strength and excellence.
Garos inherited the strengths of both his iron dragon and red dragon lineages, making him a "positive hybrid."
But there are also unfortunate "negative hybrids" who inherit the weaknesses of both parent species.
For example, a red dragon and white dragon offspring might be simultaneously vulnerable to both water and fire, possessing the frail physique of a white dragon and the reckless, violent temperament of a red dragon—a true "heart soaring higher than the heavens, fate as thin as paper" among dragons.
Garos stroked the keratinous ridge on his chin, his gaze drifting down into the abandoned mine shaft.
"The worm king must be severely injured after facing the Red Copper Dragon's fiery wrath. Should I seize this opportunity to subdue it?"
He shook his head, dismissing the idea.
The worm king was hiding deep beneath the abandoned mine. While Garos could descend, the underground wasn't his domain, and simply killing the worm king offered little benefit.
As for subduing it...
Garos's method of subduing targets through mind sense communication was essentially a form of coercion and enticement—a transaction lacking any stronger guarantee.
This approach proved largely ineffective against the worm king.
Its life grade was exceptionally high. While initial subjugation might have been possible, its inevitable rebellion upon recovery was certain.
Not long after, under the cloak of night, Garos returned to Hemlock Hills and began tallying his spoils.
With a shake of his dragon wings, gems and gold coins cascaded down, their beautiful luster gleaming under the moonlight.
These were no ordinary treasures; each gem and coin contained magical energy, making them invaluable for dragonkind's growth and development.
Garos gazed down at the glittering hoard, instinctively feeling a surge of excitement and pleasure. An overwhelming urge to hoard and protect these treasures, to keep them from any other creature's grasp, surged through him.
The allure of treasure was ingrained in dragonkind's very bones, almost like a curse.
Garos refused to succumb to this influence.
An excessive pursuit and obsession with wealth was a major cause of death among dragons, second only to the fatal consequences of their arrogance.
Garos took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and repeatedly, trying to suppress the desire surging within him.
His gaze gradually regained clarity.
When he was four years old, he had miraculously unearthed a magic gem. His first instinct was to hide it in his rear, but he sensed that such an impulse was unnatural and shouldn't be indulged. He then considered swallowing it.
Yet when the gem reached his mouth, he couldn't bring himself to swallow it.
It felt as if he were holding not a gem, but his own life force.
Later, Garos hid the magic gem at the bottom of a lake. During his free time, he would retrieve it to play with, battling his desires and honing his willpower.
Finally, around the age of six, after two years of relentless training, Garos steeled his resolve and successfully swallowed the gem.
For a young dragon, this was an extraordinary feat.
Those not of dragonkind can scarcely comprehend the species' obsession with treasure. It's a primal urge etched into their very souls, an instinct rooted in their bones.
Meanwhile, Samantha, who was inscribing alchemical runes onto Mobel's body, paused abruptly, her ears twitching.
"Ah, what is that wondrous, heavenly sound?"
Samantha turned her head and immediately spotted the pile of gems and gold coins at Garos's feet. Her breath quickened, her heart pounded, and her eyes glowed with avarice.
Her claw accidentally swung in a wide arc, tearing a long, bloody gash across Mobel's flank.
Aoww! The sudden pain made Mobel howl in surprise.
But Samantha seemed not to hear. Her eyes were fixed on Garos, as if her soul had been ensnared, and she moved toward him step by step.
"My dearest, wealthiest, greatest, most glorious brother!"
Abandoning all dignity as a red dragon, Samantha knelt before Garos and bowed her head.
"Please, I beg you," she pleaded. "Share some of your treasure with me. I'll do anything!"
Samantha felt as if ants were crawling all over her, from her soul to her flesh, driving her to offer any price for the treasure.
Garos gazed at Samantha with pity.
Her reaction was exactly how any young dragon would behave upon seeing such wealth.
It knew it couldn't simply snatch the treasure, or it would have already pounced.
Even so, Samantha had to exert considerable mental effort to suppress her overwhelming urge to seize the treasure from Garos's grasp.
One of the common tactics used by adventurer parties when hunting dragons was to scatter large quantities of gems and gold coins in areas frequented by the creatures, setting traps around the perimeter, and silently waiting for the dragons—creatures particularly sensitive to such treasures—to arrive.
"No problem," Garos agreed casually, leaving Samantha in disbelief.
After a pause, he added, "But only if your actions please me. If I'm satisfied, I might reward you with some treasure."
Samantha's eyes widened, and she asked eagerly, "What exactly do you want me to do?"
Garos smiled. "I can't say precisely. You'll have to figure it out yourself. Just make me happy."
As the saying goes:
The law must be unknowable, and its power immeasurable.
Without fixed standards, whether she received anything depended entirely on Garos's whims.
In short, he was dangling a carrot.
"Making Garos happy sounds so simple. He wants me to master alchemy as quickly as possible so I can help him."
After a moment's thought, Samantha realized something that would surely please Garos.
"My dear brother, I know what to do now!"
Leaving with renewed determination, Samantha turned back to her arduous alchemy practice, eager to earn her 'reward'.
With Samantha dismissed, Garos picked up a magic gem and clumsily brought it to his mouth. He closed his eyes, tossed it in, gritted his teeth, and crunched it down, swallowing the fragments.
A surge of energy, several times more potent than an equivalent amount of black oil, erupted from his abdomen.
The lingering fatigue from training and combat vanished almost instantly.
Magic gems were rare and difficult to mine, making them even more precious and scarce than resources like black oil. Their energy-boosting effects far surpassed those of black oil, but they were much harder to obtain.
After swallowing one gem, Garos tried to eat a second while the effects were still fresh.
But when the gem reached his lips, he found himself unable to open his mouth.
The attempt to devour two gems in quick succession felt like a knife twisting in Garos's heart. Every scale on his body, every muscle, resisted the act, making it nearly impossible to swallow.
"This instinct is still too strong. Consuming one gem at a time is my current limit," Garos muttered, shaking his head as he set the gem down.
He now had five gems remaining: three ice-attribute white crystals, one fire-attribute ruby, and one water-attribute sapphire. He also had roughly two hundred gold and silver coins.
With a sweep of his dragon wings, Garos gathered the gems and coins, storing them away.
Then, seizing the opportunity while his internal energy surged, Garos grabbed three pieces of alchemical equipment and soared into the sky to test their specific strengths and effects.
Alchemy items differed fundamentally from magical artifacts.
These items prioritized practicality and usability; whoever acquired them could wield them.
Even ordinary humans, if they obtained a powerful alchemy item with sufficient energy to activate, could potentially hold their own against supernatural beings.
Unless it was a high-tier alchemy item, the concept of "master ownership" simply didn't exist.
(End of the Chapter)
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Translator's Corner
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𝟏𝟒 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 | 𝟖.𝟓𝐤 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 | 𝟏𝟒.𝟑𝐌 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 [𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦]